Hannah McGurr had 7 points and 4 assists for 10th-seeded Ramsey, which pulled the upset up No. 7 Lakeland, 50-43, in the opening round of the North 1, Group 2 state sectional tournament on Thursday.

WANAQUE – Trailing by seven points in the second quarter against Lakeland, it was a point where the game and this season could have slipped right through Ramsey’s fingers. However, this team refused to let this game be their last. After taking the lead, their mettle was tested once again when Lakeland battled back to tie the game in the fourth quarter. The Rams never blinked and used effective long-range shooting to put the game away.

Charlotte Auty, Jules Pensari and Hannah McGurr all hit 3-pointers in a 90-second span late in the fourth quarter as No. 10 seed Ramsey pulled the upset, 50-43, over seventh-seeded Lakeland in a North 1, Group 2 first-round state sectional playoff game in Wanaque.

“It’s a credit to these girls with the way we prepare, and we stepped up to the challenge today,” said Ramsey head coach Dan Royce. “The beauty of basketball is that there are so many ups and downs. It’s been a roller coaster ride. These girls have no quit in them and I think the schedule we’ve played this season got us to win a game like this in the state tournament.”

Lakeland went to 6-foot-3 center Jasmine Star with early success. Her putback beat the first-quarter buzzer then had another layup in the second quarter sandwiched around 3-pointers from Madison Kelly and Skye Poliey to give the Lancers a seven-point lead, 18-11.

Star was also a factor on the defensive end with several blocked shots. That did not stop Ramsey from driving to the basket and the aggressiveness paid off when Star picked up her second foul near the midway point of the second quarter, forcing to the bench for the remainder of the half. Although the Rams were struggling offensively, it was an opportunity for them to grab the momentum heading into the locker room.

The Rams did more than that with a big 3-point play from Kylie Bahn along with a drive and a three-pointer from Emily Swierk as the Rams closed the half on a 10-0 spurt to take a 21-18 lead.

“With (Star) out of the game, we had to take advantage of that and be more aggressive in driving to the basket,” said Auty. “After losing to Lakeland in the first game of the season, we were excited to play them again. We knew we had the talent and the composure to come back and win this game.”

Amelia Guardascione scored with 10 points for Lakeland, which finished its season with a 14-8 record.

Pensari made hustle plays all over the court and converted a pair of acrobatic drives to the basket in the third quarter. With Star in foul trouble, Bahn hit Auty on consecutive hi-low entry passes for layups to help the Rams stretch out their lead.

Even though they were held without a field goal in the third quarter, the Lancers were still within striking distance only down by six. Amelia Guaradascione hit a corner three to open the fourth quarter and then another three minutes later to tie the game at 36.

The Rams stayed calm and responded emphatically. Auty stepped out and hit a three from the wing. Then on the Rams’ next possession, Pensari got in the act with a three from the corner to bump the lead back up to six.

“We’ve played in a lot of games where we’ve been down and we’ve come back,” said McGurr. “It was nothing new to us and we were comfortable in that situation.”

Gianna Peralta made a tough layup through traffic to trim the lead to four. McGurr, a four-year starter, made sure that was as close as the Lancers would come. She drilled a three from the top of the key with two minutes to play then went 3-4 from the foul line. The Rams showed how far that they have come, flipping an 11-point loss to Lakeland on opening night to beating them and moving into the North 1 Group 2 quarterfinals.

Auty led all players with 18 points for Ramsey (16-11). Pensari scored all nine of her points in the second half and had a game-high 11 rebounds along with four steals. Swierk added 12 points and McGurr finished with seven points and four assists.

Kelly and Guardascione had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Lakeland (14-8).

Ramsey will have a tall task ahead when they travel on Monday to face No. 2 seed and three-time defending champion Jefferson. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Rams feel confident that they will play their best game in their most important game.

“We play better when we play fast and we have a deep bench, that’s a big advantage for us,” said Pensari. “This win definitely has given us a confidence boost and we’ll be ready for our next game on Monday.”

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